Health conundrum with inherited tenants...

[James Hathaway]

So I have a friend that recently bought a duplex in a C/D area of town that I happen to know well. The property came at a very significant discount from a tired landlord and the majority of the deferred maintenance was cosmetic and easily repaired, and has been taken care of in the first 3 weeks of ownership. So far, so good for him - except for one problem...

In the upstairs apartment, most of the trouble seems to be coming from the fact that one of the tenants is very, very, morbidly obese. The downstairs people told my friend that they have only seen him leave once in a year and that day it took him a long time to traverse the stairs. The man inhabits a very small second bedroom in the home and the smell is reportedly atrocious. It's seems clear he has a difficult time getting to and getting in & out of the bathtub, and some of our deferred maintenance included a leaky tub surround, presumably due to the strain placed on the tub by the large gentleman.

Not entirely sure what is happening there in regards to his laundry/food situation but it seems clear he must be being enabled in some ways by his roomate.

My friend is a compassionate guy, however I am concerned that the property value and quality of life of others in his building could be adversely affected by this tenants presence. There is indication that there may have been water damage below the area he inhabits and I fear the worst for them if you catch my drift...

How would an experienced landlord handle this situation and what landlord/tenant issues would come into play based on the health conditions of both the tenant in question and, presumably, the health repercussions of those in other units?